Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Amateur photos of life in North Korea.
There are around 10 pages of photos but I think you will get the point after the first page.

Extended trailer for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
The only extended trailer I could find, so sorry the sound sync is a little wonky. The show was created by Aaron Sorkin and will star:Timothy Busfield,Nate Corddry,Evan Handler,Judd Hirsch,D. L. Hughley,Carlos Jacott,Sarah Paulson,Amanda Peet,Matthew Perry,Steven Weber,Bradley Whitford .
The leads for this show are right off The West Wing but this show is likely to be like Sorkins' earlier series, Sports Night. Both series are set on the set of a fictional TV show. If you are a fan of either or Matthew Perry, you will like this clip. I do and I did.

W sings U2: Sunday, Bloody Sunday.
Would it be ironic if he sang, "With or without you?"
thanks to Wizbang.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Yes, Ann is a Deadhead. There was a rumor that conservatives can't be cool.

Here's a sample from an interview with Jambands.com

Ann: I fondly remember seeing the Dead when I was at Cornell. We'd cover ourselves in purple Crisco and drink purple Kool-Aid mixed with grain alcohol and dance on the front yard. Wait – I think got the order reversed there: We'd drink purple Kool-Aid mixed with grain alcohol and then cover ourselves in purple Crisco – then the dancing. You probably had to be there to grasp how utterly fantastic this was.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Dr. New on the Budgetary Reforms of 1974.

Even though the 1974 Budgetary Reform Act, was unable to effectively rein in federal spending, it can still teach conservatives some valuable lessons. Most importantly, Congress is not good at constraining its own ability to tax and spend. The most effective fiscal limits are those that are able to place outside pressure on legislatures.

Peggy Noonan's Column Today.

Good advice for the GOP: Don't put your faith in governments, which are made by men; put your faith in individuals, who are made by God.

Riley Lead Rises.

Survey of 500 Likely Voters-June 7
Election 2006: Alabama Governor
Bob Riley (R) 54%
Lucy Baxley (D) 40%

No shocker here but the poll found Al Gore and Hillary Clinton are viewed favorably by 44% at most, while John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are viewed favorably by at least 63%.

Governor Riley is viewed favorably by 71%, (36%-very favorable; 35%-very favorable)

Baxley is viewed favorably by 88%, (Very Favorably-24%, Somewhat Favorably by 42%). The numbers also show that Baxley is disliked more intensely than the incumbent is disliked.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Riley opens big over Baxley. (thanks to Politics in Alabama)

More on the race from National Journal's Hotline:

Well, the fact that Riley's got 28% of the African-American
vote is a surprise. He also earns 22% of the Dem vote to Baxley's 55%. Those numbers are probably artificially high, however. Riley's been all over the airwaves, thanks to his primary battle with ex-AL Chief Justice Roy Moore (R), and he's had a lot more money to spend than Baxley. Once she gets on the air,
her numbers will get a lot better -- especially among African Americans and Dems -- and she'll tighten the race.
Maybe an endorsement from ex-Gov. Don
Siegelman (D) would help.

It seems highly unlikely that Siegelman would endorse Baxley at this point in the race. I think its more likely that Baxley endorses him down the road than he endorses her now.

The poll also showed a stark "gender gap" for Baxley, who is bidding to become the state's first female governor in four decades. Baxley garnered the support of just 18 percent of the men surveyed, while 57 percent chose Riley. The governor also led among women 49 percent to 31 percent.
"It makes one wonder whether Alabama is ready for a female governor," Nicholls said.

.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Rudy courts conservatives.
  1. Energy- Summing up U.S. energy policy since the 1970s, he was blunt: "We haven't done anything." We haven't drilled in Alaska. We haven't built oil refineries. We haven't ordered a nuclear power plant since 1978.
    We need to start doing these things, he said, to diversify. Energy independence, he said, is simply the "wrong paradigm," despite the idea's popularity in quarters of both the Left and the Right. Instead, in a global economy, "We have to diversify, that's our strength . . . You can be independent by being diversified."
  2. Education -he would emphasize, "choice and vouchers."

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

National Reviews' Top 50 Most Conservative Rock Songs
and 50 more. Good music, but a stretch to label most of them as conservative. Its 100 more than I came up with.

UPDATE: 50 liberal country songs

Book Review of Party of Death :THE DEMOCRATS, THE MEDIA, THE COURTS, AND THE DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE by Ramesh Ponnuru in NY Post.

The reviewer is Dr. Michael J. New of the University of Alabama. I haven't read the book yet but Dr. New is an experienced scholar on the subject and former professor of mine so read the review and see if the book appeals to you.